A secure e-mail messaging system is positioned to receive an original e-mail message from a sender before the message is delivered to a recipient. To secure HTML mail, the system inserts a resource tag such as a Web bug and/or an HTML frame tag in the message, and it removes and stores a portion of the original e-mail message. The system then sends the modified e-mail message to the recipient. A reader of the message, who may or may not be the original recipient, opens the e-mail message with an e-mail client, which sends a resource request in response to the resource tag. The system receives the resource request and determines whether the reader is authorized to read the original e-mail message. If the reader is authorized to read the e-mail message, then it sends the removed portion to the authorized reader.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of securing an electronic message at an intermediary device, comprising: the intermediary device receiving an original message addressed to a recipient; the intermediary device creating a modified message by removing at least a portion of the original message, storing the removed portion of the original message, and inserting a resource tag in the modified message; the intermediary device sending the modified message, with the inserted resource tag, to the recipient; the intermediary device receiving, from a recipient of the modified message, a resource request for content referred to by the resource tag; and the intermediary device identifying the recipient of the modified message based on a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address to which the recipient sent the resource request, wherein if the destination IP address is a private IP address, the intermediary device (i) authorizes the identified recipient of the modified message, and (ii) sends the removed portion of the original message to the identified recipient of the modified message, and wherein if the destination IP address is a public IP address, the intermediary device (i) does not authorize the identified recipient of the modified message, (ii) does not send the removed portion of the original message to the identified recipient of the modified message, and (iii) sends an alert.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the resource tag is a frame tag.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the recipient of the modified message is also based on an IP address from which the resource request was sent.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the recipient of the modified message includes requesting security information from the recipient of the modified message.
5. A system for securing a message, comprising: a processor; data storage; and instructions stored in the data storage and executable by the processor (i) to receive an original message addressed to an intended recipient; (ii) to create a modified message by removing at least a portion of the original message, storing the removed portion of the original message, and inserting a resource tag in the modified message; (iii) to send the modified message to the intended recipient, with the inserted resource tag; (iv) to receive, from an actual recipient of the modified message, a resource request for content referred to by the resource tag; and (v) to identify the actual recipient based on a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address to which the actual recipient sent the resource request, wherein if the destination IP address is a private IP address, identifying the actual recipient comprises identifying the actual recipient as the intended recipient and sending the removed portion of the original message to the actual recipient, and wherein if the destination IP address is a public IP address, identifying the actual recipient comprises identifying the actual recipient as not being the intended recipient, not sending the removed portion of the original message to the actual recipient, and sending an alert.
6. A method of securing an electronic mail message at an intermediary device, comprising: the intermediary device receiving an original electronic mail message addressed to an intended recipient; the intermediary device creating a modified electronic mail message by inserting a resource tag in the original electronic mail message and removing a portion of the original electronic mail message; the intermediary device sending the modified electronic mail message to the intended recipient; the intermediary device receiving, from a reader of the modified electronic mail message, a resource request for content referred to by the resource tag; if a destination Internet Protocol (IP) address to which the reader sent the request is a private IP address, the intermediary device (i) identifying the reader as the intended recipient, and (ii) sending the removed portion of the original electronic mail message to the reader, and if the destination IP address to which the reader sent the request is a public IP address, the intermediary device (i) identifying the reader as not being the intended recipient, (ii) not sending the removed portion of the original electronic mail message to the reader, and (iii) sending an alert.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
April 14, 2004
February 7, 2012
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